Customer Reviews

Gilmour 9200 Mechanical Water Timer, Teal

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I purchased two of these at a local hardware superstore and brought both back a week later. Neither box had an instruction manual, but they seemed easy enough to operate. One of them would not shut off at all and the other would work when it wanted to. I needed a timer to back me up when I forget that the water is running, but these were not it. Don't waste your money.

as mentioned earlier. this thing is a piece of junk. has gotten stuck 3 or 4 times and watered an area of my lawn ALL NIGHT. have bought other gilmour products that ALSO ARE JUNK.

It does not shut off. I had the water on for hours when I had it set on 1 hour. I had two of them. One exploded. The other I just tossed in the trash, not even worthy of freecycle.

This is trash. Poorly made.
Doesn't work.

Spend more money, and get an electronic timer.

These timers do not last long and stop working. The company sent me replacements two separate times and they stopped working. I am on my third request for a replacement. Don't waste your money on this item.

Great timers! I finally wore out my two originals after many years of use (and abuse). I checked the new timers as soon as they arrived and they work fine. Gilmour has a Lifetime replacement warranty which is great. I highly recommend these timers over Gilmour's newer mechanical countdown egg timer models. These are simple and very reliable!

Received Two Gilmour Water Timers Model #9301, Not the one advertised. Two hour timer instead of four hour like the one advertised.

I have been using this timer for about three years, and I always have a little apprehension when I use it because once in a while it won't shut off as set. Like the title says, it usually shuts off, albeit not exactly accurately. My advice is to find something else if you are in the market for one of these. I haven't thrown it out yet, but if gets stuck one or two more times, I'm done.

I have been using this mechanical timer for over 15 years now. I love the fact that I do not have to use batteries for it, and it is simple to use. It also works with my soaker hoses thereby saving me even more $$$. In the NYC area the water bills have gone up double digit percentages for the last 4 years - saving and keeping my beautiful garden is imperitive. I would highly recommend this timer for anyone. Another feature I like is the "slow" valve" closing off the water so that it doesn't make the plumbing clank and bang - we have 40 lbs of pressure in most of our homes.

Most users of time-based water timers are trying to estimate the amount of water delivered through their water hoses by the passage of time. But the practice is, at best, an approximation, because the amount of water delivered is influenced by the water pressure, which varies during different time of the day. Therefore, it is more sensible to use a timer based on flow, and this Gilmour 9200 is such a timer.

The dial of the Gilmour 9200 is divided into two sections--the "Continuous Flow" and the "Metered Flow". The user may turn the dial only in the clockwise direction, until it reaches the "Continuous Flow" section. Here the timer works just like a faucet. He/she can turn the dial in either clockwise or counterclockwise direction, between the "ON" and "OFF." marks, to adjust the volume of the water. Continue to turn the dial clockwise to the "Metered Flow" section. Here the user sets the volume desired, only in the clockwise direction, from 700 gallons to 100 gallons. The dial is marked in gallons and the approximate number of hours required to deliver the volume.

Before using this timer, it is important for the user to understand the mechanics of this flow timer. It has a paddle wheel powered by water flow, which, in turn, drives the gears that shut off the water valve. If the flow is too low to power the paddle wheel, the timer will not shut off. Many complaints about timer malfunction are probably related to low flow. If the user has to restrict the flow of water, like when using a soaker hose, he/she should turn down the water UPSTREAM of the timer, i.e. above the inlet of the timer, like at the hose bib, never downstream, below the outlet of the timer. No matter what the user does, there is a point where the flow is too low to power the timer. He/she will have to experiment a little to find out what works and what doesn't. Some very low flow drip system may not work with this timer at all. In fact, the manufacture states so on the face of the box, together with the following specifications: flow rate 2-10 gallons/minute, water pressure 15-120 psi, and minimum flow rate 2 gallons/minute.

In conclusion, this is what I like about this water timer: (a) it is based on volume, not time, (b) the price is very reasonable, and (c) it is very easy to install. This is what I don't like so much: (a) it may not work with low flow drip systems, and (b) the workmanship of this timer is questionable--one of the two timers I purchased leaked at the base, right out of the box. I returned it for a refund.

Update: The dial of the second timer stopped advancing after being used for a few times. I cannot recommend this product to Amazon shoppers.